Non-chemical development of printing plates

ABSTRACT

A solvent-soluble, radiation-polymerizable, oleophilic resin coating non-ionically adhered on a hydrophilic substrate can be imagewise exposed to polymerizing radiation and then directly processed by the application of disruptive mechanical forces such as compression or tension to remove the unimaged areas as undissolved particles, using pressurized water and brushing pre-press, or the tack of the ink on-press.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No.11/493,183 filed Jul. 26, 2006 for “Imageable Printing Plate forOn-Press Development”; which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e)from U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/704,140 filed Jul. 29, 2005,for “Imageable Printing Plate for On-Press Development”, and benefitunder 35 U.S.C. §120 is also claimed from U.S. application Ser. No.11/821,721 filed Jun. 25, 2007 for “Water Spray Development ofPlanographic Plates” and U.S. application Ser. No. 12/215,124 filed Jun.25, 2008 for “Heated Water Spray Processor”. The complete disclosures ofthese applications are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to imageable lithographic plates forprinting.

Plates of interest have a solvent-soluble, radiation-polymerizable,oleophilic resin coating on a hydrophilic substrate. In conventionalpractice, after image-wise exposure at ultraviolet (UV), visible, orinfrared (IR) wavelengths, the plates are developed with solvent toremove the unexposed areas of the coating by dissolution, therebyproducing a substantially planographic pattern of oleophilic andhydrophilic areas. The developed plates are then ready for mounting on acylinder of a printing press, where the plates are subjected to fountainfluid and ink for transfer of ink to a target surface according to thepattern of oleophilic and hydrophilic areas on the plate.

Although a process is known for developing IR imaged plates with waterrather than solvent, the coating is not polymerized by the imaging.Instead, the coating contains microspheres or beads of thermally fusiblematerial suspended in a water-soluble medium or matrix. The plate isimaged at high energy levels (250-350 mj/cm²) such that the microspheresfuse to themselves and the substrate. The imaged plates can be developedwith water or fountain fluid on-press, whereby the imaged, fused areasremains intact whereas the unimaged, non-fused areas includingmicrospheres are removed via dissolution of the matrix.

Not only is a high level of energy required for imaging such plates, butthe rate of imaging is slow and the resolution is low. Also, thedissolved matrix with microspheres is a chemical waste that must bespecially treated.

Thus, it should be appreciated that almost all existing negative-workingplanographic lithographic printing plates, with the exception of thoseproduced by ablation in the imager, are produced by laying down acontinuous film of radiation-sensitive coating on a suitable hydrophilicsubstrate such as grained, anodized, and hydrophilized aluminum sheet,or its equivalent, imaging the radiation-sensitive coating with actinicultra-violet, violet, or infra-red energy in an image-wise fashion, andsubsequently subtracting the non-irradiated portions of the imaged plateby the process of solubilization or dispersion, thus establishingoleophilic image areas and water receptive non-image areas.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention, we disclose an embodiment in which aplanographic lithographic printing plate is produced by laying down afilm of radiation-sensitive organic coating on a suitably hydrophilicsubstrate, such as grained, anodized and hydrophilized coating, or itsequivalent, imaging the radiation-sensitive coating with actinic UV,violet, or IR radiation to highly polymerize the image areas andsubsequently removing the non-image areas of the imaged plate bymechanically disturbing the planar coating with either the hydraulicenergy of a high-pressure water spray, or by bristled brushes rotatingrapidly under pressure in an aqueous bath against the plate surface,thus fracturing the coating in the non-image areas into discreteinsoluble particles of resin. The fractured particles suspended in waterare preferably captured by a powered, rapidly-circulating filter systemat a rate at least equal to the particle generation rate.

This state of water insolubility is achieved by composing the organicradiation-sensitive film only of active components that are insoluble inwater. The fracturing phenomenon of the imaged organic film is achievedby making certain that the adhesion of the as-coated unimaged organicfilm to the substrate is less than the internal cohesion of the imagedfilm. The generation of the removal of the unimaged film in particulateform only is thus attributable to the combined factors that theas-coated coating is not soluble in water and is designed to have anadhesion to the substrate that is less than the cohesion of theas-coated organic layer.

Because the fractured particles, generated by compressive forces in theprocessor, have not undergone solubilization, they do not adhere to eachother to form agglomerates in the processor, nor do they adhere to therubber, polymer, or metal of the processor or the plate.

In another embodiment, wherein a suitably-coated and imaged plate is tobe developed on press, the topcoat of polyvinyl alcohol on the imagedplate is removed in water and the plate is mounted on press in eithervisible or yellow light. On-press the high-tack press inks adhere verywell to the imaged plate surfaces, in both the imaged and unimagedareas. During start-up, when the blanket compresses against theinked-imaged plate surfaces, the high-tack adhesion of the ink to theblanket exceed the adhesion of the unimaged areas of the plate, and thecohesion of the unimaged areas of the plate also exceed the adhesion tothe plate, so the fractured non-image particles are deposited on thepaper web by the blanket and eventually end up in the initial start-uppaper waste. The imaged areas have both adhesion and cohesion greaterthan the ink and on-press the ink film deposited by the ink form rollonto the plate splits between the imaged areas of the plate and the inkform roll to deposit a coherent image on the blanket from whence it isdelivered to the paper.

According to the present innovation, a solvent-soluble,radiation-polymerizable, oleophilic resin coating non-ionically adheredon a hydrophilic substrate can be imagewise exposed to polymerizingradiation and then directly processed by application of mechanical forcethat removes the non-exposed areas of the coating as particulates,either pre-press or on press, without dissolution of the coatingmaterial. By subjecting the entire imaged surface to mechanical forces(such as steady compression or tension, or a series of impulses orimpacts), the unimaged areas of the coating are mechanically dislodgedfrom the substrate in the form of particulate matter, without anysolubilization of the coating.

The mechanical force can be applied by piercing, scraping, pushing orpulling. When applied pre-press at a dedicated developing station orstep, such pressure can be in the form of impacts by a pressurized sprayof neutral water, or by rapidly rotating bristle brushes, with orwithout water spray. On press, the tack of ink applied to anewly-installed plate provides sufficient pulling force. In the on-pressembodiment, the cohesion of the coating in the unimaged areas exceedsits adhesion to the substrate, and the adhesion of the unimaged coatingto the ink is greater than the adhesion to the substrate, such that theblanket pulls the unimaged areas off the substrate and deposits them onthe blanket waste.

It should be appreciated that, whereas the active ingredients in thedried, unimaged areas of the coating are only soluble in a non-aqueoussolvent, these areas are removed (i.e., the plate is “developed”)without use of any such solvent. In this context, “active” means aningredient that participates in the radiation induced polymerization inthe imaged areas. This generally means the active ingredients are apolymer, a monomer and/or oligomer, at least one polymerization or crosslink initiator, and a dye.

The most evident advantage is that no separate developing equipment orstep is required between the imager and the press. A second significantadvantage, whether or not the plate is passed through a pre-press waterprocessor, is that there is little or no chemical treatment required ofthe waste stream associated with developing the plate. A thirdsignificant advantage is that because dissolution of the polymer resinis not relied upon for processing the plate, higher molecular weightresins can be used in the imageable coating, thereby producing moredurable oleophilic areas and longer plate life on press.

Two factors play an important role in enabling the removal of theunimaged areas without any solvent or dissolution.

First, the imageable coating as initially applied and cured on thesubstrate, has a relatively low degree of adhesion to the substrate.This is preferably achieved by using a substrate having a grained,positively charged (anionic) hydrophilic surface to which the coatingmildly adheres non-ionically as a result of curing. Such substrate canbe a grained aluminum sheet treated with silicate or other knownanodizing (hydrophilizing) agents. Curing produces a mild degree ofpolymerization such that the bottom surface of the coating mechanicallyinterengages and thus adheres to the irregularities in the grainedsurface of the substrate, and the body of the coating achievessufficient cohesion to permit further handling, shipment, and imaging ofthe plates. For on-press development, the cohesion of the cured,unimaged coating is greater than the tack or peel strength of the inkand blanket roll, but the adhesion of the cured coating is less than thepeel strength of the ink.

Second, upon imaging of the plates, the radiation induced polymerizationcauses the adhesion and cohesion of the imaged areas to become muchhigher than the adhesion and cohesion of the unimaged areas. Diazocompounds have been used by some practitioners to increase the adhesionof imaged areas in essentially photopolymerizable coatings. However, thecoatings for use in the present invention must be diazo-free, becausewith diazo based coatings (whether applied in aqueous or non-aqueoussolution) the dry coating bonds ionically to the substrate and can onlybe removed via chemical reaction with non-aqueous (organic) solvent.

Without limiting the scope of the claims corresponding to the inventiveconcept, we can ascribe the best results at least in part to acombination of non-diazo based resins and associated polymerizationinitiating agents, which produce low adhesion to the substrate in themanufactured plate yet can quickly produce high adhesion where radiationimaged.

Practitioners in this field had no reason to investigate or optimize thedifference in adhesion of non-aqueous photopolymerizable resins as abasis for non-chemical, and especially mechanical, removal of thenonimage areas. Because it was the established practice that nonimageareas of the imaged plate could be substantially completely dissolved bythe non aqueous developer solution, the main objective for improvingcoatings has been to increase the adhesion, cohesion, and durability ofthe imaged areas and thereby enable the plate to better withstand therigors of the printing press. Any desired relationship between theimaged and unimaged areas was based on relative solubility, not relativemechanical adhesion, to minimize incidental dissolution of any of theexposed surface the imaged areas while the developer solution dissolvedsubstantially all of the non image areas.

With the present invention, several techniques are available forfacilitating or increasing the speed of the removal of the unimagedareas in solidus, i.e., without dissolution.

According to one such technique, the coating also includes as anon-active ingredient, a solvent soluble, partially water soluble,organic compound that is not photosensitive (i.e., it does not hardenvia photopolymer or photochemical reaction to imaging radiation).

According to another technique, the plates are heated after imaging toincrease the difference in cohesion and adhesion of the coating to thesubstrate as between the imaged and unimaged areas, such that a greaterforce can be applied to the plates to dislodge only the unimaged areas.In particular, a thermally imageable negative working plate can beexposed to heat for a short period of time after imaging, whereby theimaged portions become more stable and tougher, while the portions ofthe coating that are to be removed are not significantly affected. Theheating step preferably, but not necessarily, immediately follows theimaging step, but can be at a different location from the imaging step.

With yet another technique, any water applied to the plate is atelevated temperature.

In a further preference, the water soluble top coat conventionally usedto protect photosensitive (PS) coatings is washed off the PS coatingafter imaging (and after any subsequent heating step) and the platesstored temporarily until mounted on press. The top coat is typically awater soluble film former (such as PVOH) that prevents atmosphericoxygen from diffusing into the coating and quenching the free radicalsnecessary for inducing polymerization. The removal of this topcoat hasbeen found to substantially immunize the imaged coating from furtherpolymerization in the unimaged areas due to ambient light. Thus, theplates need not be handled in yellow or other special light betweenimaging and mounting on press.

The combination of water with pressure produces faster removal of theunimaged areas. Although the mechanism is not known with certainty, itis believed that the coating as applied and cured (and as found in theunimaged areas) inherently contains molecular level interstices thatprovide paths by which the water can penetrate into the coating andultimately to the substrate. These interstices may very well beassociated with the residual or tail solvent in the cured coating, whichcan be up to about 5% of the coating by weight. For example, water ismiscible with DMF, which if used as a component of the coating solutionapplied to the substrate, can provide interstices of miscibility in thecured coating. These interstices likely disappear in the imaged areas asa result of the high degree of polymerization. The application ofmechanical pressure with water on the relatively soft unimaged areasappears to significantly open up these interstices, and the use of hotwater renders the unimaged areas even softer and more easily removable.The paths for water penetration through the interstices of miscibilitydo not depend on the (optional) presence of a partially water solublecompound in the coating.

In another aspect, the invention is directed to a process for preparinga lithographic plate for offset printing. The steps include selecting aplate having a hydrophilic substrate and an overlying oleophilic,radiation sensitive coating, which coating cross links where exposed toradiation in a particular wavelength range, and imagewise exposing theplate to radiation in that particular wavelength range, therebyproducing a pattern of cross linked, highly cohesive oleophilic areasand less cohesive oleophilic areas. The entire coating is then exposedto mechanical force, thereby overcoming the adhesion of and completelydislodging the unimaged areas from the substrate to form a printingplate having an image pattern of cross linked, oleophilic areas of thecoating and hydrophilic areas of the substrate.

In yet another aspect, the invention is directed to a printing processin which the imaged plates are developed on press, including selecting aplate having a hydrophilic substrate and an overlying oleophilic,radiation sensitive coating, which coating cross links where exposed toradiation in a particular wavelength range. The next step is imagewiseexposing the plate to radiation in that particular wavelength range,thereby producing a pattern of highly cross linked, highly cohesive andhighly adhesive oleophilic areas and less cohesive and adhesiveoleophilic areas. The plate is mounted on a lithographic printing presscylinder or roll in opposition to an ink cylinder or roll and a blanketroll. Contact of the inked coating with the blanket pulls the lessadhesive areas from the plate to form a printing plate having an imagepattern of highly cross linked, highly adhesive oleophilic areas of thecoating and hydrophilic areas of the substrate.

In a preferred embodiment, the plate is imaged and then passed through aprocessor in which a high pressure stream of neutral water with optionalbrush mechanically removes the non imaged areas to achieve accuratepixels densities from about 1% highlights to at least about 95% shadows.The plate is then mounted on press and the combination of ink andblanket roll mechanically cleans out the remaining non imaged areas toachieve accurate shadow densities approaching 99%. The coating removedin the processor is in the form of particles dispersed in the processingwater overflow. This dispersion is filtered and the water recycled inthe spray.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 schematically shows a printing system comprising plate stack,imager, and press;

FIG. 2 is a schematic plate cross section showing an imageable coatingdirectly supported on a substrate;

FIG. 3 is a schematic plate cross section showing an imageable platewith a subcoat and top coat;

FIG. 4 is a schematic plate cross section upon exposure to radiation;

FIG. 5 is a schematic of on-press development of an imaged plate;

FIG. 6 is a schematic plate cross section showing the pattern ofremaining oleophilic imaged areas of the coating and the hydrophilicsubstrate surface areas where the unimaged areas have been removed insolidus; and

FIG. 7 is a schematic of one embodiment of a pre-press water processor.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Printing Press Process

FIG. 1 shows a schematic of a printing plant 10, such as for newspaperprinting, in which a stack of radiation imageable plates 12 is situatedupstream of an imager 14, where the coating on the plates is selectivelyhighly cross linked by selective exposure to radiation to form a patternof highly cohesive and adhesive areas, and areas that exhibit lesscohesion and adhesion. The plate substrate is hydrophilic, whereas thecoating is oleophilic. The radiation exposure produces high internalcohesion, and high adhesion to the plate. In a conventional negativeworking system, the original (unimaged) coating is soluble in aspecified developer solvent, so the imaged plate must be developed withsuch solvent to remove the non-exposed areas and thus produce a plateusable in the press. The developer solutions most frequently usedcontain either some amount of an organic solvent (typically benzylalcohol) or have an elevated pH (alkaline).

Unlike conventional systems, the present invention delivers the imagedplates directly from the imager 14 to the press 16, wherein contact withthe ink form roll 20 and blanket roll (not shown) remove the non-imageareas. In another embodiment fountain fluid 18 may also be employed 20.The unimaged coating material is quickly dislodged to reveal areas ofthe underlying substrate, which have an affinity for fountain fluid, andthe retained imaged areas, which have an affinity for ink. Oncedeveloped in this manner, the resulting printing plates can be run inthe conventional fashion to produce the printed product, which is outputat 22.

As an optional configuration, the imaged plates may be sent to aprocessing station 24, where no special treatment is required other thancontact with a spray of pH neutral water (e.g., tap water). A preferredspray can be achieved with a nozzle pressure over about 1000 psi, but ifaccompanied by brushing or similar wiping action the water pressure canbe lower. This wiping can be achieved as part of or immediately afterthe water processing at 24. The plates can then be dried and stacked,before a fully or substantially fully processed plate is sent to thepress 16.

The most evident advantages of the foregoing process, are that noseparate developing equipment or step is required between the imager 14and the press 16, and no resin is dissolved or dispersed into theprocess water. Rather, all or most of this coating detaches from thesubstrate in sufficiently large pieces that can be readily removed byfiltration and relatively easily disposed of.

Imageable Plate

FIGS. 2-6 illustrate schematically, the physical attributes of a plateaccording to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic section viewof the basic embodiment 26, consisting of a substrate or carrier S onwhich an organic, non-aqueous solvent-based coating C has been appliedand dried. The substrate S is preferably a grained, anodized aluminumsheet. The substrate is preferably post treated with a hydrophilizingagent prior to coating. Such post treatments are well known in the art,and include silicate solutions, polyvinylphosphonic acid (PVPA) or aminotrimethylenephosphonic acid (ATMPA). The coating C is applied from asolvent soluble composition comprising one or more components capable ofcross linking by free radical polymerization. The polymerization arisesas a result of imaging with ultraviolet, visible or infrared radiation.As such, the coating may further comprise radiation absorbers and/orinitiators to facilitate the cross linking efficiency. None of theseactive components is soluble in water. Preferred coating compositionsfurther comprise a polymeric material to enhance the oleophilicity anddurability of the coating in the ink receptive printing areas.

FIG. 3 is a schematic section view of a plate according to analternative embodiment where a subcoat SC has been applied to thesubstrate S, the imageable coating C is applied over the subcoat, and atopcoat TC is applied over the imageable coating. The top coat TC istypically a water soluble film forming layer such as polyvinyl alcohol(PVOH) that serves to prevent atmospheric oxygen from diffusing into thecoating and quenching the free radicals. Without the topcoat, thepolymerization efficiency is dramatically decreased. The subcoat SC is awater soluble material that facilitates the release of the coating fromthe substrate in the unimaged areas. The subcoat SC must not adverselyimpact the adhesion of the coating to the substrate in the imaged areasof the coating. 4-hydroxybenzene sulfonic acid, sodium salt has beenfound to be particularly suitable as a subcoat.

FIG. 4 corresponds to FIG. 2, and illustrates the effect on the coatingof exposure to imaging radiation. The radiation source is preferably adigitally controlled laser, which produces exposure pixels such that apattern of unexposed coating 38 a, 30 b, and 30 c and exposed coating 32a and 32 b covers substantially all of the plate. However, any of thesources of incident imaging radiation used in the art to formselectively written surfaces can be used. The selective imaging resultsin relatively distinct boundaries 34 at the interface between the imagedand unimaged areas. It should be appreciated that the Figures are not toscale, especially as to relative thickness of the coating and substrate,but are merely illustrative. For the illustrated negative working plate,the exposed coating in areas 32 a, 32 b becomes highly cross linked,thereby creating areas that have sufficient cohesion and adhesion suchthat they are not removable by subjecting these areas to substantialmechanical forces or pressure. The unexposed areas 30 a, 30 b, and 30 cretain the original characteristics and properties of the dried coatingbefore imaging. This material is not highly cross linked, and lacks theadhesion to withstand substantial mechanical forces or pressure.

FIG. 5 illustrates the context of development on press 100. The imagedplate 102 has been mounted to a plate cylinder 104 in contact oppositionto an ink form roll 106 and a blanket roll 108. The ink roll isgenerally made of rubber and the ink is generally supplied to the inkroll from a source 110 as an emulsion of water in a continuous inkmedium. A fountain fluid distributor 112 is provided for the platecylinder 104 and a rubber roll 114 is in opposition to the blanket roll108.

During normal printing with a developed printing plate, ink is appliedto the rotating plate 102 and it immediately splits, with the inkportion attracted to the oleophilic areas and the water portionattracted to the hydrophilic areas. Fountain fluid is deposited on theupper portion of the plate 102, to further assure that the ink portionand water find the oleophilic and hydrophilic areas, respectively,thereby defining the image pattern of ink to be printed on the targetmedium (e.g., paper). This pattern of ink is first transferred to theblanket 108, which transfers the ink to the paper 116 as the paperpasses between the blanket 108 and the opposed rubber roll 114.

With the present invention, after a new plate 102 is mounted on theplate cylinder 104, the plate cylinder is rotated and the ink form roll106 is activated, without activation of the fountain fluid supply 112. Afilm of ink emulsion arises between the ink roll cylinder 106 and theentire surface of the plate 102. The continuous ink medium adheres tothe entire (oleophilic) surface of the plate, exhibiting sufficientcohesion and adhesion to detach the ink from the ink cylinder 106.However, the adhesion of the unimaged areas of the plate 102 to thesubstrate is so low that the blanket 108 pulls the unimaged areas offthe substrate, as frangible particles. These particles are transferredby the blanket roll 108 to the paper 116. As with conventional startupof a newly installed plate, a paper leader or sacrificial paper sheetsare passed through the press during up to a few hundred startuprevolutions of the plate roll 104. With the present invention, thesestartup revolutions completely remove the non-image areas, with all ofthe removed coating material transferred to the sacrificial sheets 116.These can be disposed of as solid waste, without chemical treatment.After startup, the fountain supply 112 is activated and normal printingbegins on the developed plate.

FIG. 6 shows a portion the resulting plate 26 (flattened forconvenience) ready for production runs with areas 32 a and 32 brepresenting the oleophilic coating areas that pick up ink and 42 a, 42b, and 42 c representing the hydrophilic substrate surfaces that carrythe fountain fluid. It is to be understood that the plates and processdescribed herein are essentially planographic and, as noted above, therelative thickness of the areas and surfaces shown in the figures shouldnot be considered as in scale.

FIG. 7 is a schematic of the operative components of one possibleprocessor 200 for the pre-press water development of an imaged plate ina system as depicted in FIG. 1 (where the water processor is indicatedat 24). The imaged plate 202 is conveyed over a basin or tank 204 onto aplaten 206 or the like. A high pressure spray 208 impinges on the platesurface and mechanically removes the unimaged areas from the substrate,as particles. This removal can be facilitated by the use of hot water inthe spray, with or without a rotary brush 210 providing additionalimpingement on the coating surface. The sprayed water with removedparticles is captured in the basin or sump 204 and continuously drainedand delivered via line 212 to particle filter 214. The filtered water isrecirculated back to the spray nozzle 218 by pump 216 and return line218. The resinous material removed as particles is trapped in thefilter, so there is little or no chemical treatment required of thewaste stream associated with developing the plate.

One significant advantage arising from the present invention is that theunimaged areas of the plate have less tendency to retain ink receptivecoating residue than on a conventionally developed plate. Withconventional development, the coating must be completely dissolved andremoved in the developing step. It is sometimes problematic to ensurethat all coating is removed from the interstices of the substrate grain.Any residual will remain during the printing process and cause somelevel of ink pick-up in the background. With the present invention, thecoating in the background areas is non-ionically and only mildly adheredto the substrate, so is fully removable. In any event, even a residualof coating material will be removed soon after printing start-up,resulting in a cleaner background.

Another significant advantage of the present invention is that theintegrity of the imaged coating is not adversely affected by theprocessing liquid, i.e., water or fountain fluid. For conventionalplates, the imaging process causes a change in the solubility of thecoating in the developer. The change is never 100% efficient; that is,even the imaged coating will have some level of solubility in thedeveloper. This residual solubility may significantly alter the adhesiveand/or cohesive integrity of the coating. The present invention does notsuffer from this problem.

Coating of Representative Embodiment

In one particular embodiment of the invention having the basicconfiguration shown in FIG. 2, the coating comprises from about 5 toabout 30 wt % based on solids content, of a polymer that is generallyconsidered by practitioners of applied chemistry, as insoluble in water.The polymer material may be selected from a wide range of types such asbut not limited to acrylates, siloxanes, and styrene maleic anhydrides.

Advantageously, the coating comprises from about 35 to about 75 wt %based on solids content, of a polymerizable monomer, a polymerizableoligomer, or combination thereof that is similarly insoluble in water.Some suitable radically polymerizable (cross linkable) materials are amultifunctional acrylate such as Sartomer 399 and Sartomer 295commercially available from Sartomer Co.

The coating comprises a non-water-soluble initiator system capable ofinitiating a polymerization reaction upon exposure to imaging radiation.Some suitable initiator systems comprise a free radical generator suchas a triazine or an onium salt.

Optionally but not necessarily, the coating comprises from about 5 toabout 15 wt % based on solids content of a “stabilizer” that is solublein organic solvents and only partially soluble in water. This option maybe used when the plates are developed with water pre-press, especiallyif no brushing is performed. Some suitable stabilizers include asubstituted aromatic compound, such as DTTDA (an allyl amide derivedfrom tartaric acid) and tetra methyl tartaramide. The water solubilitymust not be so great as to overcome the hardening of the imaged areasand compromise the ability of these areas to remain on the plate in thepresence a high pressure water spray. The water solubility should besufficient to facilitate the penetration of water through the unimagedareas.

Additional optional components include dyes that absorb the imagingradiation (e.g. infrared absorbing dyes) and pigments or dyes that serveas colorants in the coating.

The coating advantageously comprises a “release agent” such as4-hydroxybenzene sulfonic acid, sodium salt 4-HBSA, 4-hydroxybenzoicacid or sodium benzoate. In a different embodiment the release agent isdisposed as a sub-coating between the hydrophilic substrate and theimageable coating.

Examples

In a first trial at a commercial newspaper printing facility, a negativeworking, photopolymerizable plate was imaged with IR radiation at 90mj/cm² and developed on press during startup as described above, thenused in the normal manner to print over 100,000 high quality newspapersheets. The plate was constituted as follows:

(a) grained, hydrophilized aluminum substrate

(b) imageable coating comprising the raw materials

-   -   (i) organic solvent    -   (ii) polyvinyl butyral polymer resin    -   (iii) penta functional acrylate monomer    -   (iv) pigment dispersion    -   (v) stabilizer    -   (vi) IR dye    -   (vii) organo-borate catalyst    -   (vii) onium salt catalyst    -   (viii) partially water soluble additive (DTTDA)

(c) PVOH topcoat

After thermal imaging, the plate was post-heated. It is believed thisstep produces further cross linking in the imaged areas but not in theunimaged areas. After cooling, the topcoat was washed off with tapwater. Several hours after the topcoat was removed, the plate wasmounted on the plate cylinder of a commercial newspaper printing press,with standard news paper, ink roll, blanket roll and rubber roll set up.During startup only the ink roll was active, and the plate was developedand background areas satisfactorily cleaned out within about 300revolutions of the plate cylinder.

Another trial press run was made with a plate that was identical to thatof the first run, except for the omission of the partially water solubleorganic compound (DTTDA). The results showed no significant difference.

These trials support the conclusion that unimaged areas can be cleanedout on press corresponding to print dot (pixel) density targets between0 percent to at least about 98 percent, and most likely at least 99percent.

If the plates are developed with water and brushing off-press, thetargets are achieved between about 0 percent to about 97 percent, butthe remaining few percent is achieved by clean out with the ink rollonto the blanket and paper on press.

In a facility where the development is on press, a pre-press water/brushstation or localized steam discharge may desirably be adapted to processonly an edge or corners of the plate where reference numbers or markerswere imaged. The pre-press step will reveal the markers to the pressoperator for confirmation that the correct plate is to be mounted andproperly aligned in the press.

Coating Chemistry Including Enhancement for Water Penetration

The following tables contain descriptions of the coating constituentsand variations in the percentage content, associated with multipleexamples in which the coating contained a non-photosensitive, solventsoluble, organic compound that is partially soluble in water. The imagedplates were developed by immersion in water and then wiped with a cloth.Although these tests were not performed in a system as depicted in FIGS.1 and 5 with only mechanical force as the developing agent, the effectsof varying the ingredients in a laboratory are believed applicable foroptimizing performance in a production setting where mechanical force isproved by a high pressure spray. It should be appreciated, however, thatwith development according to the invention in a water spray processoror on press, there would be much less tendency of redeposition ofremoved coating material as reported for some tests.

In each instance, the plates were prepared in a conventional manner in alaboratory, with conventional coating weight of 100 mg/sq·ft., drawndown with a wire wound stainless steel rod, and dried for two minutes at90° C. All plates had a topcoat of PVOH at 140 mg/sq·ft. All plateshaving triazine were imageable with UV, and all plates with a dyesensitive to 830 nm light source, such as the KF-1151, were imageablewith IR. The results reported with each table are based on conventionalIR imaging at about 90-100 mj/sq·cm. A dash in a column indicates thatthe wt % value is the same as the entry in the previous column of thesame row.

If the plates are to be processed in a dedicated station upstream of thepress by immersion in water and a wiping action milder than what a plateexperiences on-press, the coating could be augmented by a release agent,as shown in Table 1.

Table 2 shows that for a given polymer (Clar. Poly 123) and monomer(Sartomer 399) combination, the relative weight percent is a significantvariable. Ratios of monomer to polymer in the range of at least about1:1 to about 5:1, preferably about 2:1 to about 4:1 are likely to workwell, given that the ratio of 0.5:1 (Plate #4) produced only fairresults, the ratio of 4:1 (Plate #3) produced excellent results, and theratio of about 9:1 (Plate #2) produced only fair results.

Table 3 shows the result that satisfactory plates can be made frompolymer resins that do not necessarily have a reaction to radiationexposure. The coatings of Plates #1 and #3 have reactive resins thatproduced good results, and the coatings of Plates #4 and #5 havenon-reactive resins that produced good to fair results. The potentialfor use of non-reactive resins opens the door for use of resins having amuch higher molecular weight than presently used resins.

Table 4 demonstrates that not all monomers at a given weight percent ofthe coating, produce equivalent results, with some producing poorresults. Similarly, Table 5 demonstrates that potential stabilizersother than DTTDA that are soluble in the non-aqueous solution and arepartially soluble in water, do not necessarily produce satisfactoryresults.

Table 6 demonstrates that potential release agents other than 4-HBSAthat are fully soluble in both non-aqueous solutions and water can besuccessfully utilized.

Table 7 demonstrates that a coating that is sensitive to both UV and IRradiation can be successfully imaged and processed in water according tothe invention.

Table 8 demonstrates that good results do not depend on use of only onekind of initiator.

Table 9 shows that the use of coinitiator compounds and/or post-imagingheating, can improve the performance of the plates.

In Table 9 the organo-borate compound is P3B, made by Showa Denko K.K.,headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. The P3B can be used as the soleinitiator. It is believed that used individually, the listed initiatorswould rank from strongest to weakest as Diphenyl Iodonium hexaflourophosphate, Triazine AC, and P3B. The reason for using a coinitiatorsystem rather then increasing a single initiator is that there is asynergistic effect between the organo-borate and either the triazine oronium catalyst. Given a fixed amount of energy the initiatorsindividually (at their optimum level) will only produce a certain amountof free radicals. However, when the organo-borate is combined with oneof the other catalysts, free radicals are generated at a faster rate bythe triazine or onium catalyst while free radicals are still generated(at a normal rate) from the organo-borate. Therefore the efficiency ofthe system is increased in both rate and population. By using thiscombination, a much higher degree of cross-linking is realized, whichimproves both adhesion and cohesion of the image. With an increase inadhesion and cohesion, an increased amount of release agent can be used,thereby providing for better development.

Depending on the type of equipment used for the post-imaging thermalenhancement, a different range of times and temperatures should be used.With a convection oven, both the temperature and dwell time are greaterthan with a small preheat oven unit (where the plate comes in directcontact with the heating element). As a rough guide, 200 deg. F. at 1minute in a convection oven has approximately the same effect as 175deg. F. for 7 seconds in a preheat oven. With a typical commerciallyavailable preheat unit, the window would be 175 to 250 deg. F. for atime period of 5 to 15 seconds.

Tests were also run on the six formulations shown in Table 9, forcomparison of UV versus IR exposures. Previous formulations which didnot contain the organo-borate co-initiator system were UV sensitive onlywhen they contained the Triazine AC. The onium salt by itself was not UVsensitive. Incorporating the organo-borate into the formulation renderedthe formulations that contained the onium salt UV sensitive. All six ofthe formulations that contained the co-initiator system produced a goodimage when exposed to either IR or UV. In order to simplify the testingformulation #5 was chosen for testing in UV exposures.

Using an Ugra scale for comparison, plates were exposed for 250, 125 and62.5 mjs. The plates were then developed through a water bath with twomolleton socks at 4 feet per minute at 75 degrees F. The resulting stepwedges were 250 mj—solid 9 steps with 2 gray steps to a total of 11, 125mj—solid 7 steps with 2 gray steps to a total of 9 and 62.5 mj—solid 5steps with 2 gray steps to a total of 7. All of the images from thedifferent exposures exhibited very good solvent resistance. The bestresolution that was received was at 62.5 mjs, which yielded an open 15micron line target and good screen values from 2% to 99%.

TABLE 1 Coating Compositions With Partially Water Soluble Stabilizer Asthe Significant Variable 4-Hydroxy B S A and DTTDA #1) #2) #3) #4) #5)#6) Meth. Prop ^((a)) 92.39% 91.99% 92.27% 91.77% 91.77% 91.77% Sartomer399 ^((b)) 2.31% 2.31% 2.31% 2.31% 2.31% 2.31% Clariant Poly 0.46% 0.46%0.46% 0.46% 0.46% 0.46% 123 ^((c)) Triazine AC ^((d)) 0.45% 0.45% 0.45%0.45% 0.45% 0.45% DTTDA ^((e)) 0.00% 0.40% 0.00% 0.40% 0.52% 0.00%4-HBSA ^((f)) 0.00% 0.00% 0.12% 0.12% 0.00% 0.52% KF-1151 ^((g)) 0.05%0.05% 0.05% 0.05% 0.05% 0.05% Pigment Disp ^((h)) 4.34% 4.34% 4.34%4.34% 4.34% 4.34% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% ^((a))Solvent (1-Methoxy-2-Propanol, Propylene Glycol Methyl Ether availablefrom Arco Chemical Company) ^((b)) Monomer (DipentaerythritolMonohydroxypentaacrylate available from Sartomer Company, West Chester,Penn.) ^((c)) Polymer ^((d)) Initiator ^((e)) Stabilizer ^((f)) ReleaseAgent ^((g)) Dye ^((h)) Pigment RESULTS #1) Plate would not develop #2)Plate showed slight signs of development #3) Plate had partialdevelopment with heavy redeposition #4) Plate developed very easilyproducing an image with good adhesion, good dot reproduction and a cleanbackground. #5) Plate did not develop any better than plate #2 #6) Platedeveloped in a very non uniform way yielding a weak image andredeposition

TABLE 2 Coating Compositions With Monomer/Polymer Ratio as theSignificant Variable Monomer/Polymer Ratio #1) #2) #3) #4) #5) #6) Meth.Prop. 92.39% — — — — — Sartomer 399 2.77% 2.49% 2.21% 1.85% 0.92% 0.00%Clar. Poly 123 0.00% 0.28% 0.56% 0.92% 1.85% 2.77% Triazine AC 0.45% — —— — — DTTDA 0.40% — — — — — 4-HBSA 0.12% — — — — — KF-1151 0.05% — — — —— Pigment Disp. 4.34% — — — — — 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0Results: #1) Plate produced a good image but the plate was easily overdeveloped. The coating was slow in speed and had poor adhesion to thesubstrate. #2) Produced a better image than #1 with faster speed but itwas still easy to over develop but with better adhesion. #3) Produced astrong image with good adhesion. The coating developed very easily withgood dot reproduction and clean background. #4) Produced a very strongimage with great adhesion. The coating was more difficult than #3 todevelop but had good dot reproduction and a clean background. There wasalso some evidence of redeposition. #5) Plate showed only very slightdevelopment. #6) Plate had no development.

TABLE 3 Coating Compositions With Radiation Sensitive Resin As theSignificant Variable Reactive and Non Reactive Resins #1) #2) #3) #4)#5) #6) Meth. Prop. 92.39% — — — — — Sartomer 399 2.21% — — — — —Triazine AC 0.45% — — — — — DTTDA 0.40% — — — — — 4-HBSA 0.12% — — — — —KF-1151 0.05% — — — — — Pigment Disp. 4.34% — — — — — Clar. Poly 1230.56% — — — — — Jaylink 106 — 0.56% — — — — NK-P1002 — — 0.56% — — — DowCorning 62230 — — — 0.56% — — Sartomer PRO5542 — — — — 0.56% —4-vinylphenol/MMac. — — — — — 0.56% 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0Results: #1) Produced an image with good dot reproduction and adhesionalong with a clean background. Coating was easy to develop. #2) Coatingwas difficult to develop and produced a broken image with poor adhesion.The background of the plate was clean. #3) The coating was slightly moredifficult to develop then #1 but produced an image with good adhesionbut significant coating re-deposited on the image. The background areaof the plate was clean. #4) This resin (non photo reactive) produced acoating that was easy to develop. The image had good dot reproductionand good adhesion. The image was prone to over development. Thebackground areas of the plate were clean. #5) This resin (non photoreactive) produced a coating that was easy to develop without being oversensitive. The image had good dot reproduction and good adhesion. Thebackground areas of the plate were clean. #6) This resin (non photoreactive) produced a coating that was very difficult to develop. Couldnot get good dot reproduction or a clean background.

TABLE 4 Coating Compositions With Monomer Type as the SignificantVariable Monomers #1) #2) #3) #4) #5) #6) Meth. Prop. 92.39% — — — — —Clar. Poly 123 0.28% — — — — — Triazine AC 0.45% — — — — — DTTDA 0.40% —— — — — 4-HBSA 0.12% — — — — — KF-1151 0.05% — — — — — Pigment Disp.4.34% — — — — — SR-399 2.49% — — — — — SR-454 — 2.49% — — — — SR-350 — —2.49% — — — SR-295 — — — 2.49% — — CD-580 — — — — 2.49% — SR-348 — — — —— 2.49% 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 Results: #1) (SR-399Dipentaerythritol Pentaacrylate) This monomer produced a coating thatwas easy to develop. The image was strong with good dot reproduction andgood adhesion. The background area was very clean. The image wasslightly sensitive to overdevelopment. #2) (SR-454 EthoxylatedTrimethylolpropane Triacrylate) This monomer produced a coating that wasvery easy to develop but had a weak image and a dirty background. #3)(SR-350 Trimethylolpropane Triacrylate) This monomer produced a coatingthat was somewhat difficult to develop. The resulting image was strongbut with heavy retention in Background. #4) (SR-295 PentaerythritolTriacrylate and Tetraacrylate) This Mixture of monomers produced acoating that was almost as As easy as #1 to develop. The image wasslightly weaker then#1 but the background was clean. #5) (CD-580Alkoxylated Cyclohexane Dimethanol Diacrylate) This monomer produced acoating that did not develop. #6) (SR-348 Ethoxylated Bisphenol ADimethacrylate) This monomer produced a coating that was very difficultto get any development.

TABLE 5 Coating Compositions With DTTDA and other Partially SolubleStabilizers As the Significant Variable DTTDA and Analogous Compounds#1) #2) #3) #4) #5) #6) Meth. Prop. 92.39 — — — — — Sartomer 399 2.31 —— — — — Clar. Poly 123 0.46 — — — — — Triazine AC 0.45 — — — — — 4-HBSA0.12 — — — — — KF-1151 0.05 — — — — — Pigment Disp. 4.34 — — — — — DTTDA0.40 — — — — — Dimethyl Tartrate — 0.40 — — — — Di allyl Maleate — —0.40 — — — Di allyl Succinate — — — 0.40 — — Dimethyl Maleate — — — —0.40 — Tetra Methyl Tartaramide — — — — — 0.40 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0100.0 100.0 Results: #1) Good development, good image and cleanbackground. #2) Hard to develop, strong image and dirty background. #3)Very slight development. #4) No development #5) No development #6) Asgood as #1

TABLE 6 Coating Compositions With 4HBSA and Other Soluble Release AgentsAs the Significant Variable 4-Hydroxy B.S.A. and Analogous compounds #1)#2) #3) #4) Meth. Prop. 92.39 — — — Sartomer 399 2.31 — — — Clar. Poly123 0.46 — — — Triazine AC 0.45 — — — DTTDA 0.40 — — — KF-1151 0.05 — —— Pigment Disp. 4.34 — — — 4-HBSA 0.12 — — — Benzene Sul. Acid — 0.12 —— 4-Hydroxy Benzoic Acid — — 0.12 — Sodium Benzoate — — — 0.12 100.0100.0 100.0 100.0 Results: #1) Control formula - produced a coating thatwas easy to develop. The image was strong and the background was clean.#2) The coating was not as easy to develop but the image was strong andthe background was somewhat clean. #3) This material produced a coatingthat was as good or better than the control. #4) This coating wasequivalent to #2.

TABLE 7 Coating Compositions With Various Infrared Sensitive Dyes As theSignificant Variable Various 830 Dyes #1) #2) #3) #4) Meth. Prop. 92.39— — — Sartomer 399 2.31 — — — Clar. Poly 123 0.46 — — — Triazine AC 0.45— — — DTTDA 0.40 — — — 4-HBSA 0.12 — — — Pigment Disp. 4.34 — — —KF-1151 0.05 — — — ADS-WS — 0.05 — — Few Chem S0456 — — 0.05 — Few ChemS0306 — — — 0.05 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 Results: #1) This is thecontrol coating which developed easily and produced a good image andclean background. #2) This coating was equivalent to #1 except that theimage was not quite as strong. #3) This coating developed easily but didnot produce any image. #4) This coating developed easily but produced avery weak image. Observation; Although not all of the coatings producedan image in the IR all of them did produce strong images in the UV.

TABLE 8 Coating Compositions With Triazine vs. Onium Salts As theSignificant Variable for Cross Linking Initiators Initiators: TriazineVs. Onium Salts #1) #2) #3) Meth. Prop. 92.39 — — Sartomer 399 2.31 — —Clar. Poly 123 0.46 — — DTTDA 0.40 — — 4-HBSA 0.12 — — KF-1151 0.05 — —Pigment Disp. 4.34 — — Triazine AC 0.45 — — Diphenyl Iod. PF6 — 0.45 —CD1012 — — 0.45 100.0 100.0 100.0 Results: #1) This is the controlformulation which was easy to develop and produced a strong image with aclean background. #2) This formula (with DiphenyliodoniumHexafluorophosphate) developed easier then the control and stillproduced a strong image with a clean background. #3) This formulationwas slightly more difficult to develop than the control. It produced astrong image but a slightly dirty background. (DiaryliodoniumHexaflouroantimonate)

TABLE 9 Post-Imaging Thermal Enhancement and Coating Compositions withCo-Initiators #1) #2) #3) #4) #5) #6) Meth. Prop. 91.87% 91.77% 91.25%91.87% 91.77% 91.25% Sartomer 399 2.46% 2.46% 2.46% 2.46% 2.46% 2.46%Clar. Poly 123 0.31% 0.31% 0.31% 0.31% 0.31% 0.31% DTTDA 0.40% 0.40%0.80% 0.40% 0.40% 0.80% 4-HBSA 0.12% 0.12% 0.24% 0.12% 0.12% 0.24%KF-1151 0.05% 0.05% 0.05% 0.05% 0.05% 0.05% Pigment Disp. 4.34% 4.34%4.34% 4.34% 4.34% 4.34% Showa D. 3PB — 0.10% 0.10% — 0.10% 0.10%Triazine AC 0.45% 0.45% 0.45% — — — Diphnly Iod. PF6 — — — 0.45% 0.45%0.45% Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 Results: #1a) This is acontrol type coating formula which developed easily and produced a goodimage and clean background. The run length of this image was verysusceptible to press type and conditions. #1b) Using the same coatingformula the plate was put through a pre-heat of 100 degrees C. for 1minute prior to being mounted on press. The plate still had gooddevelopment (slightly less then #1a) but had an image that was lesssusceptible to the type of press and its condition. #2a) This is thecontrol formulation but with the addition of a small amount of anorgano-borate compound (Showa D. 3PB) used as a co-initiator. This platetook longer to develop than plates 1a or 1b but had a much more durableimage. This coating was much less sensitive to press type or conditionsand also had better run length than 1b. #2b) Using the same coatingformula as 2a the plate was put through a pre-heat of 100 degrees C. for1 minute prior to being mounted on press. The plate was slower todevelop than 2a and although the image was much tougher the backgroundwas not as clean causing the plate to print with a background tone. #3a)This coating was the same as #2 but the amount of DTTDA and 4-HBSA wasdoubled, which with the use of the organo-borate allowed the plate tohave good development characteristics along with a good image. This madeit easier to develop then 2a but it did not have as tough an image. #3b)This is coating 3a but the plate was exposed to a pre-heat of 100degrees C. (for 1 minute) prior to being mounted on the press. Thisplate had a very tough image but was slower to develop then 3a and didnot have a completely clean background. #4a) This is the same as formula#1 but the Triazine AC was replaced with the onium salt DiphenylIodonium Hexa-Flouro Phosphate. This change not only allowed the plateto develop faster on press but it also produced a slightly better imagethen #1 with a good clean background. #4b) This is coating 4a except theplate was exposed to a pre-heat of 100 degrees C. for 1 minute prior tomounting on press. The plate developed as fast as #1 having a strongimage with good integrity. The plate had a decent run but was stillsomewhat susceptible to press conditions. #5a) This is the same ascoating 4a except for the organo-borate. The plate produced from thiscoating was slower to develop than plate 4a. It had a good image with aclean background. #5b) This is coating 5a with a preheat of 100 degreesC. for 1 minute prior to mounting on press. This coating developed atapproximately the same speed as 5a. The image was very strong with goodintegrity but the background printed with a very slight tone. #6a) Thisis coating formula #5 with double the amount of the DTTDA and 4-HBSA.These plates had a good roll up on press with a clean background. Theimage was sound but not quite as strong as #5. #6b) These plates werecoated with the formula of #6 but were exposed to a pre-heat prior tobeing mounted on press. In the previous pre-heat trials the plates couldnot exceed a temperature of 100 degrees C. without either losing a cleanbackground or loss of development altogether. With the increase in thedeveloping aids the plates were able to take a pre-heat of 120 degreesC. for 1 minute and still maintain good development with a strong imageand a clean background.Coating Chemistry without Enhancement for Water Penetration

Although the Tables above were based on varying the components of acomposition which included a solvent soluble, partially water solubleorganic compound, the effects of these variations are likely to beinstructive for compositions without such organic compound. It should beappreciated that a key aspect of the embodiment without the partiallywater soluble organic compound, is that the cohesion of the unimagedcoating is greater than the adhesion of the unimaged coating to thesubstrate. Some compositions in the foregoing tables that show promise(because of the efficacy of the partially soluble compound) may not besuitable for this embodiment if the adhesion is not less than thecohesion, however, one of ordinary skill in the art can readily selectand optimize many of the compositions in the Tables by omitting thepartially water soluble organic compound.

There are many types of resins, oligomers and monomers that can be usedto produce coatings that would have properties suitable for use in thepresent invention. It is believed that the monomer to polymer ratio inthe range of 2-4 and the use of an organo-borate catalyst with an oniumsalt catalyst are important preferences. A wide mixture offunctionalities can be used but cured coatings with better adhesion andcohesion are achieved with multi functional monomers and oligomers(functionality of 3 or higher). It is not necessary to use a resin whichcontains unsaturated groups but in the majority of the cases the curedfilm will exhibit better adhesion and integrity. Types of resins caninclude poly vinyls (poly vinyl acetate, poly vinyl butyral, etc),cellulosic, epoxies, acrylics and others as long as the resin does notproduce a strong adhesive bond with the substrate. Monomers andoligomers should be somewhat viscous liquids and can bepolyester/polyether, epoxy, urethane acrylates or methacrylates (such aspolyether acrylate, polyester acrylate, modified epoxy acrylate,aliphatic urethane methacrylate, aliphatic urethane acrylate oligomers,polyester acrylate oligomers, aromatic urethane acrylate,dipentaerythritol pentaacrylate, pentaacrylate ester, etc.).

1. A process for developing a lithographic plate, comprising: (a)selecting an imaged plate having (i) a substrate with a grained,anodized, hydrophilic surface; (ii) a negative working, organic,polymerizable coating in which all active components for polymerizationare insoluble in water; (iii) wherein said coating is non-ionicallybonded to the substrate and has been imaged by polymerization in areasexposed to radiation, such that the cohesion of the unimaged areas ofthe coating exceeds the adhesion of the unimaged areas of the coating tothe substrate; and (b) subjecting the entire coating to mechanicalforces which (i) disrupt and remove only the unimaged areas of thecoating from the substrate; (ii) in the form of particulate material;(iii) without solubilization of either the imaged or unimaged areas ofthe coating.
 2. The process of claim 1, wherein the mechanical forcesare selected from the group consisting of compression, tension, impulse,and piercing.
 3. The process of claim 1, wherein the mechanical forcesare provided by pushing against the coating.
 4. The process of claim 1,wherein the mechanical forces are provided by pulling on the coating. 5.The process of claim 1, wherein the mechanical forces are provided bypressurized water spray.
 6. The process of claim 1, wherein themechanical forces are provided by rotating brushes in the presence ofwater.
 7. The process of claim 1, wherein the plate is on a rotatingcylinder of a printing press having an ink roll that applied ink to thecoating and a rotating blanket roll that is in contact with the coating;and the mechanical forces are applied by the blanket roll pulling inkand unimaged coating material adhered to the ink, off the substrate. 8.The process of claim 5, wherein the water is at a temperature aboveabout 80 deg. F.
 9. The process of claim 1, wherein the activecomponents include, from about 5 to about 30 wt % based on solidscontent, of a polymer; from about 35 to about 75 wt % based on solidscontent, of a radically polymerizable, multifunctional acrylate monomeror oligomer; and an initiator system capable of initiating apolymerization reaction upon exposure to imaging radiation.
 10. Theprocess of claim 9, wherein the initiator system comprises a combinationof one of triazine or an onium salt with an organo-borate compound. 11.The process of claim 1, wherein the coating components include, (a)polyvinyl butyral resin (b) penta functional acrylate monomer (c)pigment dispersion (d) stabilizer (e) IR dye (f) organo-borate catalyst(g) onium salt catalyst
 12. A process for preparing a lithographic platefor offset printing, comprising the sequence of: (a) selecting a platehaving an anodized, hydrophilic substrate and an overlying oleophilic,radiation polymerizable, non-aqueous organic coating non-ionicallyadhered to the substrate, wherein the cohesion of the coating to itselfis greater than the adhesion of the coating to the substrate; (b)imagewise exposing the plate to radiation, thereby producing a patternof highly polymerized oleophilic imaged areas and unimaged oleophilicareas; and (c) mechanically impinging the entire coating in a waterenvironment supplied by a source of water, with sufficient energy todisrupt and dislodge the unimaged areas and thereby remove the unimagedareas in the form of discrete solid particles.
 13. The process of claim12 including distributing the removed particles in a water dispersion;filtering the particles from the water dispersion; and recirculating thefiltered water back to the water source at a rate that maintains thewater in the source in a substantially particle-free state.
 14. Theprocess of claim 12, wherein between steps (b) and (c), the entireimagewise exposed plate is exposed to elevated temperature in the rangeof between about 175 to 250 degrees F. for a time period in the range of5 to 15 seconds.
 15. The process of claim 12, wherein step (c) isperformed with a high-pressure water spray.
 16. The process of claim 12,wherein step (c) is performed with a brush.
 17. The process of claim 12,wherein the imaging radiation is in the infra-red wavelength range andthe imaging is at an energy level no greater than about 125 mj/cm². 18.The process of claim 12, wherein in step (c) all the removed material isremoved without dissolution and results in a plate with highlights andshadows in the range of about 1% to at least about 95%, and step (c) isfollowed by the steps of, (d) mounting the plate on a plate cylinder oflithographic printing press; (e) applying ink to the mounted plate withan ink form roll as the plate is rotated in contact with a rotatingblanket cylinder; (f) whereby during less than 500 rotations of theplate cylinder and blanket cylinder of step (e) substantially all of anyremaining non-image areas of the coating are removed by the blanket rollfrom the substrate as undissolved particles thereby forming a printingplate having an image pattern of highly polymerized, oleophilic areasand hydrophilic areas of said substrate, with highlights and shadows inthe range of about 1% to about 99%.
 19. A radiation sensitive plate forlithographic printing, comprising: a substrate with a grained, anodized,hydrophilic surface; and a radiation sensitive, negative working coatingnon-ionically adhered to the substrate with cohesion of the coating toitself greater than the adhesion of the coating to the substrate,wherein the coating contains active components that participate inradiation induced polymerization, said components including, a polymerthat is insoluble in water, a radically polymerizable monomer oroligomer that is insoluble in water, and a water-insoluble initiatorsystem capable of initiating a polymerization reaction upon exposure toimaging radiation.
 20. The plate of claim 19, wherein the initiatorsystem comprises one of triazine or an onium salt and an organo-boratecompound.
 21. The plate of claim 19, wherein the coating contains aninactive release agent selected form the group of 4-hydroxybenzenesulfonic acid, 4-hydroxy benzoic acid, or sodium benzoate.
 22. The plateof claim 19, including a top coat of a water soluble oxygen barrier. 23.The plate of claim 19, wherein the polymer is selected from the groupconsisting of acrylates, siloxanes, and styrene maleic anhydrides; andthe monomer is a multifunctional acrylate.
 24. A lithographic printingpress having an imaged printing plate mounted on a plate cylinder, inkapplied on the entire coating by an ink form roll in contact with theplate on the plate roll, a fountain fluid distributor opposed to theplate roll adjacent the ink form roll, a blanket roll in contact withthe plate on the plate roll, a rubber roll opposed to the blanket roll,and printable media between the blanket roll and the rubber roll,wherein (a) the plate comprises a substrate carrying an imaged coating,in which nonimage areas have internal cohesion, adhesion to thesubstrate, and adhesion to the applied ink and image areas have internalcohesion, adhesion to the substrate, and adhesion to the applied ink;(b) in the nonimage areas the cohesion is greater than the adhesion tothe substrate and the adhesion to the ink is greater than the adhesionto the substrate; (c) in the imaged areas the adhesion to the substrateis greater than the adhesion to the ink; and (d) the adhesion of the inkto the blanket roll is greater than the adhesion of the ink to thenonimage areas; (e) whereby the blanket pulls the nonimage areas fromthe substrate as undissolved particles that are transferred to theprintable media.
 25. The printing press of claim 24, wherein the plateis a freshly developed plate; the ink form roll but not the fountaindistributor are active; and the printable media is a waste leader. 26.The printing press of claim 25, wherein a water processor is situatedupstream of the printing press, said water processor having a source ofpressurized water spray and brushes to remove at least 95% of thenonimage areas from the substrate as undissolved particles; a basin thatcaptures the sprayed water with the removed particles distributedtherein as a dispersion; and a recirculation system including filter torecirculate the filtered water back to the water source at a rate thatmaintains the water in the source in a substantially particle-freestate.